Method of and apparatus for compressing amorphous carbon



June 16, 1925. 1,542,119

G. H. WHEATLEY METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING AMORPHOUS CARBON Filed NOV. 30, 192.3 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 16, 1925'.

G. H. WHEATLEY METHOD OF: AND APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING AMORPHOUS CARBON 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 30, 193.15

Patented June 16, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. WHEATLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Application filed November 30, 1923. Serial No. 677,904.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. VVHEATLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented an Improvement in Methods of and Apparatus for Gompressing Amorphous Carbon, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to of amorphous carbon.

Among the several objects of. the invention maybe noted the provision of simple and comparatively inexpensive apparatus for compressing the material known as amorphous carbon or lamp black; the provision of an effective method of compressing such material, and the provision of a method and apparatus of this type that is adapted for continuous operation, with a minimum of labor and power required. Other ob jects will be in part obvious and inpart pointed out hereinafter. p

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, steps and sequence of steps, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts, which are exemplified in the description hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which are illustrated dia rammatically one of various possible embodiments,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation, with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse central section onthe line 2-2 of Fig; 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectionon the line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 44 of Fig. 1. t

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts through the several views of the drawmgs.

Referrin now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of t e accompanying drawings, there is illustrated a. compressing machine com the compression prising a first hopper 1, a tapered spiral conveyor '3, a second hopper 4, a pair of upper rolls 5, 7, a third hopper 9, and a pair 0 lower rolls 11, 13.

The frame 15 of the machine is provided with two side frames 17, 19, connected by a gop frame 21 (Fig. 4) and a bottom frame Each sideframe 17, 19 has a bearing 25 (Fig. 2) for the upper and lower rolls 7, 13.

Each side frame 17, 19 has also a slot 27 to receive a sliding bearing 29 for the respective rolls 5, 11 (Fig. 2). The sliding bearing is forced toward the center of the apparatus by suitable means such as screws 31 (Fig. 2) in order to hold the rolls 5, 11 in proper operating relation with respect to the respective companion rolls 7, 13. The screws 31 preferably do not bear directly against the sliding bearings 29, but are shouldered as at 33 (Fig. 4) to receive compression spring 35 which, in turn bear against the sliding bearings 29. The ma 1- tude of the pressure with which the sli ing bearings are urged toward the right (Fig. 2) can thus be adjusted by means of the screws 31.

n One roll of each pair, such as 5, 11, is preferably of steel or iron, and the other roll of each pair such as 7, 13, is covered with rubber. These materials are merely illustrative. The rolls of a air are preferably in contact with one anot er. Centrally mounted upon the top frame 21 1s a pipe 37 (Figs. 1, 2 and 4) which extends throughthe central aperture in the top spider or frame 21 and extends downwardly into the second hopper 4 (Figs. 1 and 2). Surmounting the pipe 37 is a conical stand- 1pipe 39, to the top of which is secured the rst hopper 1.

Extending centrally down through the first hopper 1 and stand-pipe 39 and pipe 37 is a vertical shaft 41. At the upper end of the shaft is a beveled gear 43 meshing with the beveled gear 45 upon a horizontal shaft 47. The latter shaft carries a sprocket 49 which is driven, through a chain 51, from this s rocket 53 of the shaft 55 of the upper r0 1 sprocket 57 driven, through a chain 59, from a sprocket 61 upon the shaft 63 of the lower roll 13. The shaft63 carries at its outward end (Fig. 1) a sprocket 65 which is rotated through a chain 67, from a source of power (not shown). j

The vertical shaft 41 carries a tapered screw conveyor 69 which extends through the conical portion 39 and lower tubular por The latter shaft carries in turn a tion 37 of the conveyor 3. The shaft rotates in such a direction that the tapered screw forces downwardly the carbon particles from the first hopper 1. The particles are delivered to the first hopper 1 through the opening 71 in any convenient manner. If desired, paddles or other agitators 73 may be provided in the first hopper, to prevent the carbon therein from adhering to the walls of the hopper.

When the carbon reaches the lower end of the tapered screw, it passes into the second hopper 4. This second hopper has leather strips 75 that bear against the upper rolls 5, 7, to prevent the carbon from getting out of the hopper save by passing downwardly between the two upper rolls 5, 7. At either side of the machine this second hopper 4 is provided with fibre plates 7 7 spring-pressed against the ends of the upper rolls 5, 7 to prevent escape of the carbon.

After the carbon has passed down between the upper rolls it drops into a third hopper 9. Any carbon that adheres to the rolls may be removed by suitable means such as the scrapers 79 (Fig. 2).

By the time the carbon has passed through the upper roll 5, 7, it is sufliciently compressed to fall readily into the third hopper, and the latter does not need to be completely housed.

From the third hopper the carbon drops down between the lower rolls 11, 13, whence it falls into a suitable receiving device, such as a paper bag indicated conventionally at 81.

Scrapers 83 similar to those shown at 7 9 may be provided in connection with the lower rolls.

From the above it will be seen that the loose carbon received at the first hopper l is forced downwardly and continuously and progressively compressed to some extent in the tapered spiral conveyor 3 and delivered thence continuously to the enclosed second hopper 4 for delivery to the upper rolls 5, 7. From the latter the carbon, now considerably com ressed, drops into the third hopper 9 and rom there passes between the lower rolls 11, 13. After such passage the carbon is in the proper state of compression for marketing, and drops into bags or other suitable receptacles.

The process is continuous, requires little or no attention from an operator, and is carried on with but a small consumption of power.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several ob'ects of the invention are achieved and ot er advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. The method of com ressing loose amorphous carbon in a flu y condition, Which comprises delivering said loose carbon positively to and into compressing means.

2. The method of compressing loose amorphous carbon, which comprises conveying the said loose carbon and simultaneously subjecting it to a progressively increasing compression thereby forcing the carbon against a compressing device.

3. The method of compressing amorphous carbon in a fluify condition, which comprises conveying the said carbon and simultaneous- 1y subjecting it to a progressively increasing compression, thereby forcing the carbon against a compressing device such as compression rolls, and compressing the carbon further by forcing it between said rolls.

4. The method of compressing amorphous carbon, which comprises conveying the said carbon and simultaneously subjecting it to a progressively increasing compression, thereby forcing the carbon against a compressing device such as compression rolls, compressing the carbon further by forcing it between said rolls, and effecting further compression by passing the carbon between another set of rolls.

5. The method of compressing loose amorphous carbon in a fluffy condition, which comprises progressively compressing said loose carbon and simultaneously conveying the same to compressing means.

6. The method of compressing loose amorphous carbon, which comprises progressively compressing said loose carbon and simultaneously conveying the same to and into compressing means, and delivering the then partly compressed carbon toand into other compression means.

7. The method of compressing loose amorphous carbon, which comprises progressive ly compressing said loose carbon and simultaneously conveying the same to an enclosed receptacle from which the carbon is forced past compressing rollers.

8. The method of compressing amorphous carbon in a fluify condition, which comprises progressively compressing said carbon and simultaneously conveying the same to an enclosed receptacle from which the carbon is forced past compressing rollers, delivering the partly compressed carbon into another receptacle and thence past other compression rollers.

9. The method of compressing loose amorphous carbon, which comprises progressively compressing said loose carbon and simultaneously conveying the same to an enclosed receptacle from which the carbon is forced past continuously operative compressing means, delivering the partly'compressed car bon past other continuously operative com pression means from which the carbon drops to bags or other suitable container.

10. The method of compressing loose amorphous carbon, which comprises delivering the said loose carbon to a tapered spiral, which forces the carbon toward compression means and progressively compresses it during its passage therethrough, and compressing the carbon in said means.

11. The method of compressing amorphous carbon, which comprises delivering the said carbon to a tapered spiral, which forces the carbon toward compression means and progressively compresses it during its passage therethrough compressin the carbon in said means, delivering the carbon thence to another compression means, and compressing the carbon further in the latter means.

12. The method of compressing amorphous carbon, which comprises delivering the loose carbon to a tapered spiral, which forces the carbontoward compression rollers and progressively compresses it during its passage therethrough, compressing the carbon between such rollers, delivering the carbon thence to another set of compression rollers, and compressing the carbon fur ther between the latter rollers.

13. Apparatus for compressing loose amorphous carbon, comprising means for delivering said carbon positively to and into compressing means, said means including a tapered conveyor adapted to initially compress said loose carbon.

14. Apparatus for compressing loose amorphous carbon, comprising means for progressively compressing loose carbon and simultaneously conveying the same to an enclosed receptacle from which th carbon is forced, compression rollers to and between which the carbon is forced.

15. Apparatus for compressing amorphous carbon, comprising means for progressively compressing loose carbon and simultaneously conveying the same to compression rollers to and between which the carbon is forced, a receptacle adapted to receive the partly compressed carbon from said rollers, a second set of rollers adapted to receive the carbon from the latter receptacle.

16. Apparatus for compressing amorphous carbon, comprising means for progressively compressing loose carbon and simultaneously conveying the same to an enclosed receptacle from which the carbon is forced, compression rollers to and between which the carbon is forced, a receptacle adapted to receive the partly compressed carbon from said rollers, a second set of rollers adapted to receive the carbon from the latter receptacle, and means for receiving the carbon delivered from the said latter rollers.

17. Apparatus for compressing loose amorphous carbon in a fluffy condition, comprising a receptacle, a tapered spiral screw adapted to receive said loose carbon from the said receptacle and to force the carbon away from said receptacle, and compression rollers to and between which the carbon from said tapered spiral screw is forced.

18. Apparatus for compressing loose amorphous carbon in a Huffy condition, comprising a receptacle, a tapered spiral screw adapted to receive said loose carbon from the said receptacle and to force the carbon away from said receptacle and to compress said carbon progressively during its passage therethrough, an enclosed receptacle for receiving the carbon from said tapered spiral screw, and compression rollers to and between which the carbon from said tapered spiral screw is forced.

19. Apparatus for compressing amorphous carbon, comprising a receptacle, a

tapered spiral screw adapted to receive loose carbon from the said receptacle and to force the carbon away from said receptacle, an enclosed receptacle for receiving the carbon from said tapered spiral screw, compression rollers to and between which the carbon from said tapered spiral screw is forced, and means for delivering the carbon to another set of rollers for further compression.

20. Apparatus for compressing amorphous carbon in a fluffy condition. comprising means for conveying the said carbon and simultaneously subjecting it to a progressively increasing compression, compressing mean to which the carbon is forced by said first means, and means adapted to receive the carbon from said compressing means and to effect further compression of said carbon.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 27th day of November, 1923,

GEORGE H. \VHEATLE Y. 

